Summary

Treating patients with somatoform disorders often creates specific problems during the course of psychodynamic psychotherapy. Especially there is quite often a specific disturbance in psychic functioning characterized by a communicative style in which symbolic thinking and empathy is reduced and inner feelings and wishes are not revealed (alexithymia), and/or patients conscious awareness is very much focused on bodily symptoms. This paper describes basic characteristics of patients with somatoform disorders and discusses the handling of some problems during the initial diagnostic phase and inpatient psychotherapy.